Rakow Road rockin’ along at 45 mph

CRYSTAL LAKE – Construction speed zones restricting motorists to a 35 mph speed limit on Rakow Road came down Thursday and the speed limit was set at 45 mph.

Construction crews turned on full functionality of all traffic signals this week and on Thursday took down the last barrels that blocked left-turn lanes.

Drivers still can expect periodic lane closures possibly into December while crews complete wiring work and install light poles, said Mark Dammyer, McHenry County Division of Transportation construction manager.

“We’ll cone off a lane, but when we cone off a lane and there’s two lanes, it’s much less disruption,” Dammyer said. “And that’s what’s going to happen now. There will still be work zones.”

The project will extend in a minor way into spring, when hundreds of trees are planted along the road. That work will cause minimal traffic disruption, Dammyer said.

The three-mile widening project began two years ago.

Construction costs amounted to $26.5 million, and with land acquisition, engineering and other costs, the project came to $37 million. About $6 million was paid for by a federal transportation grant and $750,000 was covered by a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant.

In preparation for the project’s completion, officials held a rededication for the road in late October.